MEMORANDUM
DATE: January 20, 2025 Report No. ADM-25-007
TO: Committee of the Whole
FROM: Dan Horan, Chief Administrative Officer
SUBJECT:
Title
Staffing Changes - 2025-2029 5-Year Financial Plan
End
INFORMATION:
The 2025-2029 5-Year Financial Plan includes changes to Esquimalt’s staff complement. These changes are intended to address challenges faced by the Township in sustaining current levels of service and delivering on the Council Priorities Plan. This memorandum has been prepared to provide Council with background information on the proposed positions in preparation for budget deliberations in February and March 2025.
The Township has added 18.5 full-time equivalent (FTE) staff positions between 2017 and 2024 to address several specific requirements or challenges. These additions are summarized in Table 1 below.
Table 1 - Summary of FTE Changes 2017-2023
|
Position |
2017 |
2018 |
2019 |
2020 |
2021 |
2022 |
2023 |
2024 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Engineering Tech II - Asset Management |
+1.0 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Planning Technician |
|
+1.0 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Pipe Layer |
|
|
|
+1.0 |
|
|
|
|
|
Labourer II |
|
|
|
+2.0 |
|
|
|
|
|
Custodial Maintenance - Gorge Pavilion |
|
|
|
|
|
+1.0 |
|
|
|
Lounge and Pavilion Supervisor |
|
|
|
|
|
+0.5 |
|
|
|
Engineering Tech III - Project Coordinator |
|
|
|
|
|
+1.0 |
|
|
|
Economic Development Manager |
|
|
|
|
|
+1.0 |
|
|
|
Occupational Health and Safety Manager |
|
|
|
|
|
|
+1.0 |
|
|
Licensing Clerk - Community Safety & Bylaw |
|
|
|
|
|
|
+1.0 |
|
|
Fire Fighters |
|
|
|
|
|
|
+4.0 |
|
|
Accountant |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
+1.0 |
|
Information Technology Support Analyst |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
+1.0 |
|
Committee Clerk |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
+1.0 |
|
Records, Information & Privacy Clerk |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
+1.0 |
|
Total |
18.5 |
Whenever new services or greater levels of service are proposed by a municipality, there are usually additional costs for staffing and for operational support. There are other times, however, where staffing changes are proposed to maintain or sustain current levels of service. Table 2 below summarizes the proposed changes.
Table 2 - Summary of Staffing Changes Planned for 2025
|
Position |
2025 |
|
|
|
|
Project Manager - Engineering & Public Works |
+1.0 |
|
Human Resources & Community Relations Administrative Support |
+1.0 |
|
Fire Inspector |
+1.0 |
|
Fire Fighters |
+3.0 |
|
Senior Planner - Development Services |
+1.0 |
|
Administrative Support (Engineering & Development Services) |
+1.0 |
|
Council Clerk* |
+1.0 |
|
Total |
+9.0 |
|
* FTE approved as part of 2024-2028 5-Year Plan |
In response to Council’s selection of Good Governance and Organization Excellence as a priority, staff have worked to identify resourcing needs to meet Council’s objectives. In analyzing the Township’s levels of service since the beginning of this Council term, staff have worked first to identify ways to create efficiencies to improve service delivery, rather than defaulting to immediate requests for more staff. Workforce Plans (included at Attachments 1-4) were then developed to provide staff’s best analysis about likely resource requirements needed within the span of the period covered by the 2025-2029 5-Year Financial Plan.
The positions listed in Table 2 are new positions intended to be funded by the operating budget. There are additional positions (not listed in Table 2) within the Engineering and Public Works Workforce Plan that will be funded through the capital program and will not be funded through a tax rate increase.
Given current conditions and levels of service, neither the Director of Financial Services and Information Technology nor the Director of Parks and Recreation anticipate any further FTE changes within the next three to five years. A Workforce Plan for the areas previously covered by the Director of Community Safety Services (currently vacant) including Bylaw Services, Building Inspections and Emergency Management has not been prepared, though the CAO does not anticipate any FTE changes within the next 2 years. A bylaw levels of service review report is expected to be delivered to Council in Q1 of 2025 and will address resourcing and levels of service for bylaw enforcement.
It is important to note that multi-year human resource plans for Esquimalt are a new initiative that started in late 2023 in preparation for the 2024-2028 Five Year Financial Plan. A year later, in fall of 2024, senior staff completed the work necessary to develop the Workforce Plans attached. These plans are not yet fully developed beyond the next 2-3 years. Further work is required by senior staff to better capture the organization’s needs in 2028 and beyond. This further work is likely to be completed in 2025.
Attachment 1 - Workforce Plan, Corporate Services
Attachment 2 - Workforce Plan, Human Resources and Community Relations
Attachment 3 - Workforce Plan, Fire and Rescue Services
Attachment 4 - Workforce Plan, Engineering and Public Works
Attachment 5 - Workforce Plan, Development Services